Rationing, Recipes, and Teaching Real Life

Rationing, Recipes, and Teaching Real Life

We all want to teach our kids about real life. And there are so many ways to do that. For instance, just going to a grocery store and learning to prepare simple meals are life skills we can teach our kids. Even though going grocery shopping and cooking during a pandemic may be a chore, it’s certainly not like it was during World War II. Today let’s talk about Rationing, Recipes and Teaching Real Life.

Rationing:

During the war, many things were rationed (although I don’t think toilet paper was…). This meant families were only allowed a small amount each. Some items weren’t available at all.

If you’re looking for a way to teach cooking and history together, here’s a solution. Let’s talk about World War II food rationing.

I wrote a book set during WWII. In Where Treetops Glisten, my main character, Meredith, is a nurse on the war front. During Christmas 1945 she is stationed in The Netherlands, and the fighting is thick in the Battle of the Bulge. 1945 in The Netherlands was considered the “Hunger Winter” because there was so little food. Things weren’t nearly as bad in the United States, but everyone sacrificed so the troops could have food.

Sugar, butter, and meat were rationed, but that was only a start. Here is a list of other food items rationed during the war:

Sugar: May 1942 – 1947
Coffee: November 1942 – July 1943
Processed foods: March 1943- August 1945
Meats, canned fish: March 1943 – November 1945
Cheese, canned milk, fats: March 1943 – November 1945

Recipes:

With the rationing came recipes.

A typical recipe ad contained between three and six recipes, sometimes as many as a dozen or more. Some advertisers like Frigidaire and Armour also offered free ration-oriented cookbooks containing, on average, about eighty recipes. Even Lysol, which had nothing to do with food preparation except cleaning up the kitchen afterwards, offered its free “Victory Cook Book” of eighty-one recipes with every purchase of the disinfectant.

Want to try one of these recipes? Why not try Chocolate Potato Cake?

Here’s a recipe for Chocolate Potato cake from the cookbook, “Dressy Dishes from Your Victory Garden.” Print the recipe.

This is what the introduction for the dessert section said:

“Guess-Again” Desserts

Desserts from the Victory Garden? Cross our heart … and watch the plates cross the table for “seconds” when you serve such ingenious delicacies as Carrot Pudding, Tomato Spice Cake or Carrot Pie. Their good taste hides their secret, of course … no one would ever guess they’re just bursting with vitamins and came right out of the garden.

Another recipe you can try is Salmon Loaf Recipe.

Teaching Real Life:

Maybe these don’t sound very appetizing. But if you’re getting weary from cooking three meals a day for your big family, maybe it’s time to teach them how to cook. I’ve found several recipes that I think work well for teaching kids how to make a meal.

Here are a few things that are important to me when it comes to recipes:

1. Recipes should be cost-effective.

2. Recipes should have ingredients I have on hand.

3. Recipes should be easy, things I can teach my kids to make.

4. Recipes should take less than 15 minutes to prepare. (Which means less grumbling

from me!)

5. Recipes should be able to feed a lot of people.

6. Recipes should be ones my kids enjoy. (Less grumbling from them!)

To make this easier, I’ve included a free printable of my family’s top 5  Ingredient Recipes!!

Rationing recipe cards

Rationing recipe cards pg 2

Rationing, Recipes, and Teaching Real Life

For rationing discussion questions and recipes, download the free printable!